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Campaign finance report cards due

This may be the last filing the candidates' supporters can really do anything about. | Reuters

Also of interest will be the fundraising of the Ending Spending Action Fund, until now a relatively quiet conservative super PAC that says it will spend $10 million to boost Romney’s campaign between now and Election Day. Billionaire Joe Ricketts, the founder of what’s now TD Ameritrade, has become its primary funder.

It won’t at all surprise if wealthy businesspeople, even those who’ve largely sat out the race to date, have suddenly injected a final jolt of cash into some of the super PACs, said David Keating, president of the pro-campaign finance deregulation group Center for Competitive Politics.

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“It’s like Christmas shopping: A lot of potential donors wait until the last minute,” Keating said.

Where’s Obama’s money coming from?

It’s already known that Obama, together with the Democratic National Committee, raised $114 million in August — $3 million more than Romney and the Republican National Committee.

But where’s that money coming from?

Because the grand total numbers add up the candidates’ campaigns, the party committee and the joint “Victory” funds, there’s plenty of room to play around and make that final number as big as possible.

That said, Obama’s campaign has touted its small donor operation and Thursday’s numbers will help show whether small-dollar, grassroots donors are offering up their full support to him. A dearth of maxed-out donors, meanwhile, would suggest that the president’s nonstop, coast-to-coast fundraisers haven’t generated as much financial fruit as he’d like.

An Obama campaign official tells POLITICO that the campaign is “still seeing growth in new donors who have never given to the campaign before, including in 2008.”

Romney’s numbers could benefit from the Republican National Convention being conducted in late August, as the week-long partisan infomercial likely prompted more than a few supporters to whip out their credit cards and make a donation.

The Democratic National Convention didn’t kick off until the first week of September, and any financial bounce Obama received from it won’t be captured until the president’s campaign released another round of reports Oct. 20.

Will Priorities USA show its teeth?

It’s been a rough election for the main pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action, founded by former Obama staffers Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney. To wit: It’s spent less than one-third of what pro-Romney Restore Our Future has and ended July with a comparatively paltry $4.2 million on hand.

But it is poised to post its best monthly fundraising figures yet — about $10 million. It even has a chance of beating Restore Our Future, in that department.

Even Obama’s been more comfortable cracking jokes about the super PAC, telling prospective donors Tuesday in New York City that if they just happen to have $10 million to give to a super PAC, “I can’t solicit it from you, but feel free to use it wisely.”

“We are pretty confident we have the resources we need going forward,” said Burton, who added that the super PACs expenditures between now and Election Day will “all be swing-state based.”

Why the newly found fundraising success?

“Democrats are just fundamentally against super PACs, and they have a general discomfort with money in politics,” Burton said. “But we all want to see the president win.”

Leave it to Obama to spend more money than he's got. Poor guy he can't help it . . . unfortunately as president he is spending our tax dollars which has left this country in a real mess. We need to vote him out before he can do any more damage.

I've never seen such a ****ed off, middle age white woman in my life - I can hear the "n" word hissing from her pursed lips clear as day. She looks like a smoker who really needs a hit and a drink.

I'm sure the Ending Spending Action Fund is one of the groups above - what a collasal waste of money. Just think of all the ****ty jobs the 1% could have "created" w/ that money. No - they're too desperate to get the Socialist out at any cost.

Perhaps if things don't go their way Nov 6 it might provide a future reduction in expenditures on such a losing bet. Well, that's Wall Street :)

Oh Flip Wilson is irrelevant. Now that Holder has been cleared all the Republicons have been proved wrong once again . What a wonderful day. Now maybe Obama can get a job's bill or something . Republicans obstruction is obviously aimed at torchering the 47% they hate. There is a line in the sand .Romney !!! God bless half the country .

'm sure the Ending Spending Action Fund is one of the groups above - what a collasal waste of money. Just think of all the ****ty jobs the 1% could have "created" w/ that money. No - they're too desperate to get the Socialist out at any cost.

Ummm. wasnt Obama going to run the first Billion Dollar campaign? How many jobs with that money?

And I seem to recall a senator Obama who kissed off public financing casue he could raise more on his own.

The days of moronic spending money we dont have are over-get used to it.

To spend new money, a higher amount iof existing spending must be cut.

This is the mantra we are going to hold Congress accountableto. Cut spending elseware, and new spending will be approved. Do not, and there is zero chance of passage.

Should the presidant continue to ignore the consitution and continue his policy of executive fiat, we are going to press that he be held accountable in court.

The president's "jobs bill" consists solely of handouts to public union workers. I dont know about his veterans bill, but given that the president has zero understanding of the private economy I have zero confidance it would be of any benefit.

It just not going to happen.

Obama and his liberal attack dogs have divided the country in a way that will not be healed anytime soon The despicable smear campaign being run will not be forgotten. The opposition to his ruinious agenda of failure has hardened.

You reap what you have sown....and what you have planted is opposition